Ceramic Materials

Ceramic Materials: Science and Engineering is an up-to-date treatment of ceramic science, engineering, and applications in a single, integrated text. Building on a foundation of crystal structures, phase equilibria, defects and the mechanical properties of ceramic materials, students are shown how these materials are processed for a broad diversity of applications in today's society. Concepts such as how and why ions move, how ceramics interact with light and magnetic fields, and how they respond to temperature changes are discussed in the context of their applications. References to the art and history of ceramics are included throughout the text. The text concludes with discussions of ceramics in biology and medicine, ceramics as gemstones and the role of ceramics in the interplay between industry and the environment. Extensively illustrated, the text also includes questions for the student and recommendations for additional reading. It combines the treatment of bioceramics, furnaces, glass, optics, pores, gemstones, and point defects in a single text. It provides abundant examples and illustrations relating theory to practical applications. It is suitable for advanced undergraduate and graduate teaching and as a reference for researchers in materials science. It is written by established and successful teachers and authors with experience in both research and industry.

Introduction.- Some History.- What You Already Know.- Bonds and Energy Bonds.- Models, Crystals and Chemistry.- Binary Compounds.- Complex Crystal and Glass Structures.- Equilibrium Phase Diagrams.- Furnaces.- Characterizing Structure, Defects and Chemistry.- Point Defects, Charge and Diffusion.- Are Dislocations Unimportant?- Surfaces, Nanoparticles and Foams.- Interfaces in Polycrystals.- Phase Boundaries, Particles and Pores.- Mechanical Testing.- Deforming: Plastic.- Fracturing: Brittleness.- Raw Materials.- Powders, Fibers, Platelets and Composites.- Glass and Glass-Ceramics.- Gels, Sols and Organic Chemistry.- Sintering and Grain Growth.- Solid-State Phase Transformations and Reactions.- Processing Glass and Glass-Ceramics.- Coatings and Thick Films.- Thin Films and Vapor Deposition.- Growing Single Crystals.- Shaping and Forming.- Conducting Charge or Not.- Locally Redistributing Charge.- Interacting With and Generating Light.- Storing Data Using Magnetic Fields.- Responding to Temperature Changes.- Bioceramics and Biomimetics.- Minerals and Gems.- Industry and the Environment.